Selvaggio
by zyprexa
Summary: FBI investigate strange murders committed by animals.


**Scene One**

_4.03am_

_Kennedy Museum New York, 4.30am_

Luke put his feet up and leaned back in his chair. Night shifts always seemed so long when you were on your own. Well, he'd made it through most of the night. A little nap would make the time pass quicker. With his hat lowered over his eyes, he prepared to sleep. A shadow flickered past the desk. He started and nearly fell back off the chair. He grabbed the desk and leapt to his feet. 'Who's there?' he demanded, squinting into the gloom. No reply. His eyes fixed on the CCTV monitors. Number one, clear. Two, ok. Three... 'Oh my God,' he exclaimed and grabbed the receiver of the phone. Dialling 911 in a state of frenzy, he could feel his hand trembling. 'Ambulance, Police or Fire Service?' came the reply. The receiver dropped from his hand and Luke could be heard screaming on the other end of the phone. The line went dead.

Opening credits roll...

**Scene Two**

_10.33am_

_Department of the Coroner_

FBI agent Dana Scully furrowed her brow. 'These aren't stab wounds,' she informed her partner, agent Fox Mulder. Luke Picket's deformed figure lay on the table. 'It seems like they're from some sort of claw, maybe from a cat or something,' she guessed. 'Some big cat,' Mulder grimaced as Scully inspected the body. 'No way was it domestic anyway,' Scully went on, 'Maybe it was a wolf or some other big animal. Behind Mulder the computer beeped. 'The DNA results are through on that fragment we found in the cut,' Scully told him. He peered at the screen. 'Hmm,' he began, 'You were right, it was a cat.' Taking off her gloves, Scully walked towards the computer. '"A Mountain Cougar"' she read off the screen. 'Never normally found in this state.' She looked at Mulder. 'That's odd.'

**Scene Three**

_1.55pm_

_City Zoo_

'Hi we're agents Mulder and Scully, FBI,' She explained to the Gatekeeper on duty. 'We're investigating a murder, do you mind if we look around?' 'I don't see why you have to look in the Zoo,' demanded the tall, burly man dressed in a khaki uniform blocking their entrance. His sandy-brown hair blew in the wind. His nametag read 'Jack'. 'The park is closed for lunch anyway.' 'Excuse me, but I can arrest you if you don't co-operate,' threatened Mulder calmly, 'Step aside please, sir.' Reluctantly the man shifted slightly so as the two agents could enter. 'Need any help?' he muttered. 'Yes, actually. Could you show us where to find the Mountain Cougar?' Mulder asked, 'I'm afraid we don't have one,' was the man's reply. Mulder noticed that he had a gash on his cheek. 'It said on a brochure I read that you did,' Mulder corrected him. 'What are you, some kind of weirdo? That was probably some other zoo,' he snapped. Mulder shook his head, but the man went on. 'How would you remember anyway? You don't got a photographic memory ditz.' The agents smiled. Scully coughed. 'Thanks for your help,' she finished as they turned to leave. A monkey screeching attracted their attention. Even in the sky over the twenty-foot high fence they could see that something strange was happening inside the park. At once an eagle soared over their heads. Blood dripped from its talons. A security guard came rushing out of the zoo, a nametag bearing 'Mark' just visable on his tattered shirt. 'Kevin's dead boss,' he panted frantically at the gatekeeper 'He didn't do nothing- it just killed him and escaped.'

**Scene Four**

_2.30pm_

Mulder's car 

'These can hardly be considered murders, more like freak accidents,' Scully said to Mulder, who kept his view on the road ahead. 'But how do we know?' he argued, 'Maybe the animals are just doing somebody's dirty work.' 'We still haven't found any evidence of a cougar around the city,' Scully said, flicking up her onboard computer in the car. She opened a search engine. 'Wild Pets' she typed. A list of people appeared on the screen. 'People who own wild animals as pets need a licence,' she told Mulder, 'Here they are.' She typed again. 'Cougars'. Two names appeared onscreen. 'First lets pay Jim McCarthy a visit.'

**Scene Five**

_3.01pm_

_32 Nutgrove Estate_

'Niiice house,' remarked Scully as they climbed the steps. Mulder pressed the bell and the beginning of the Irish national anthem could be heard chiming all through the tall, elegant mansion. A butler greeted them at the door. 'Agents Mulder and Scully, FBI,' Mulder began. 'We're looking for a Jim McCarthy regarding his possession of a pet Cougar. His cat is a suspect in a murder case.' 'I would imagine that sounded a whole lot better in your head,' a smiling man dressed in jeans and a sports coat said appearing behind the butler, who stepped aside. He didn't have an American accent, it sounded a bit Irish. Jim ushered them in. 'Tequila?' he offered them, 'Or would you prefer something a little stronger?' 'No thanks,' Scully spoke for both of them, 'we'd just like to ask you a few questions regarding your cat.' 'Ask away,' Jim sat on a chair and leaned forward with his hands together between his knees and his shoulders relaxed. Scully sat but Mulder remained standing. He could be seen examining a lot of the objects around the hallway. 'Mind if I look around?' Was all he said, but it was really more of a statement than a question, as he was already scrutinising and writing in a little notebook. Jim nodded and looked back at Scully. 'How long have you had him?' Scully asked. 'Her,' Jim corrected, 'I've had Tiger two years now.' 'Tiger? I thought you owned a cougar?' Scully went on, 'A cougar, but her name is Tiger,' smiled Jim. 'My eldest son's idea. Ryan. Brilliant child. He's studying law.' Scully smiled. 'Actually, instead of asking questions, could I see Tiger herself?' Jim nodded and led the way out of the room. Mulder followed and soon they were in the back garden of the house. A large paddock at the rear of the garden held a beautiful brownish cat. It prowled back and forth surveying the newcomers. Jim opened the paddock and she cautiously padded out. Jim smiled and petted her and a rumbling sound could be heard. 'She's purring. You can pet her too, but don't make any sudden moves or you'll startle her.' Mulder moved in and began to stroke her glossy fur. 'Would it be ok if we took some samples?' 'Ok. But I'd just advise you not to upset her,' Jim agreed.

**Scene Six**

_5.03pm_

_Department of the Coroner_

'The fragments don't match Tiger's claws. I guess she's clear,' Scully concluded.

Scene Seven 

_6.17pm_

_76 Kingsley Place_

'Jack O' Kennedy,' Mulder said, 'if this guy's pet isn't responsible the killing cougar must be wild.' They walked up the path. The house was completely the opposite to the McCarthy's; this building was run-down and derelict. They knocked at the door. After a pause there was still no answer. 'No-one home.' Scully remarked. Turning to leave, they saw a car pull up by the kerb. Out stepped the gatekeeper they'd encountered at the zoo. His eyes narrowed as he saw them. 'What are you doing here?' he demanded 'We've come about your pet,' Scully told him. 'You licensed a cougar with the state. We're here to question you.' 'No I didn't,' he contradicted her 'I never licensed it.' 'But you own one?' Mulder asked, squaring up to the man. His eyes seemed to be an unusual yellowish-brown colour and he was more tanned than Mulder. He had changed out of his uniform and was simply wearing jeans and a khaki shirt now. 'I...' he didn't really seem to know. 'I don't own one,' he finished unconvincingly. 'Mr. O' Kennedy, if you are lying, we can have you prosecuted,' Scully said, annoyed. 'I'm not lying,' he snarled. Scully continued 'Government records show that you are not unfamiliar with cougars.' 'I work in a zoo. Get off my case, you're not going to get me,' it was evident that he was becoming irritated. His eyes flashed and he tried to push past Mulder, who shot out an arm and grabbed him. Suddenly Jack spun round and sunk his teeth into the arm. Scully screamed and Mulder gasped in pain. Jack let go and made his getaway toward the car. As he sped away the agents ran to their own car and Mulder stepped on the gas. Jack had gotten too much of a head start and was soon out of sight. They were forced to give up.

**Scene Eight**

_9.51am_

_City Zoo_

They stepped cautiously through the gates, Mulder taking the rear. A man looked at them from behind the glass of the ticket booth. 'I remember you two; you were talking to Jack yesterday. His sister says he's sick if you're looking for him again.' The man with Mark on his tag said, 'She should be at the cougar paddock though.' Looking at each other triumphantly they took directions as to where the cougars were. They thanked him. A short walk later they found themselves outside a huge caged area. Inside they could see no movement but... 'Oh my God,' exclaimed Scully. Mulder followed to where her finger pointed. A girl of about seventeen was inside in the paddock feeding a huge sandy-coloured cat. She spotted them and smiled nervously, then went back to giving the cougar huge sides of meat from a bucket on the floor. The cougar however, lost all interest in the food. His yellowish brown eyes narrowed and he growled menacingly. 'We're from the FBI,' Mulder addressed the girl, 'we need to take some samples from that cougar.' 'Sorry,' she said, 'it's feeding time and you can't disturb them.' 'I'm afraid you have no choice,' Scully confronted the girl bravely. She glared at Scully and shrugged. 'He's all yours,' she mumbled indistinctly and pottered off into the forest behind the cougar. 'How are we going to get at him?' Scully wondered aloud. 'Tranq should do it,' Mulder replied and reached into his shirt pocket menacingly. The cougar washed himself unconcernedly as Mulder aimed the gun. Tourists gawked through the wire as the dart flew through the metal separator and planted itself in the fur of the cat's leg. As the cougar fell, Mulder twisted the key in the lock and stepped inside in the cage, Scully following. They crept towards it and began filing pieces off of the cougar's claws, teeth and taking some fur. 'Right, back to the lab,' Scully murmured nervously so as not to disturb the cougar. Mulder got back up off his haunches and made his way to the door. 'RrrrraAAAah,' came the cougar's roar. 'The Tranq wasn't strong enough, he was just too stunned to move,' hissed Scully, already outside the cage, '_come on!_' Mulder began to sprint, something Scully had never seen him do. The cougar sprinted towards him and pounced, taking him down. He could feel claws digging into the back of his suit and he strained to get up. He knew that if he didn't fight back the cat could rip him to shreds. Despite the cat being a whole lot heavier than him, he managed to push himself off of the ground. The cougar blatantly refused to let go of the flesh he'd attached himself to and began to furiously rip at Mulder's skin. Mulder gave a snarl of pain and lashed out at the cougar, hitting it square in the eye. This caught the cat off his guard and he hissed as Mulder jumped to his feet again. Suddenly, out of the forest bounded a black panther. She had a glossy dark brown coat and blue-greenish eyes. Behind her was Jack's sister. 'We were never introduced, I'm Molly,' she smiled at a cut and bleeding Mulder. Scully, by this time, had fled, locking the gate. 'The...the cougar,' he gasped, pointing at it, 'it at...attacked me.' 'Really?' she said, exaggerating her sympathy sarcastically, 'Oh, poor Mr. FBI agent, was the big mean kitty hurting you?' The panther seemed to be pacing, looking angrily at the cougar and Molly. At once, it pounced on the cougar, flooring him. It ripped viciously at the cougar, which struggled to fight back and get back on his feet, but to no avail. Molly cried out in anger and started to run and help the cougar, but thought better of it, and retreated to the forest in a cat-like fashion. The two cats struggled on the ground, and suddenly a second cougar bounded out of the forest to help the first. This one had greenish yellow eyes and was a deeper brown than the first, and she seemed far angrier. A visiting family stopped and stared as the panther left the first cougar lying half-dead, unable to move and viciously attacked the second. She soon achieved a similar fate and lay unconscious. The panther gave one last look at Mulder and dashed back to the woods she'd emerged from. Mulder leapt to his feet and grabbed a rope that lay in the corner. He tied it around the bleeding and cut necks of the two cougars and then proceeded to tie it around the wire fence.

**Scene Nine**

_11.33am_

_Department of the Coroner_

'Thanks for staying to help me out back there,' Mulder said angrily, 'We've found the killer,' Scully went on, choosing to ignore him, 'It was that cougar.' 'I fought him off with my bare hands, and a second one arrived two,' Mulder frowned at her. 'They're tied to the fence in the cage now.' 'Right, we'll have them put down.' She stepped out into the office and began to root in the middle drawer of her desk. She pulled out a brown bottle with no label on it. 'It's not our job,' Mulder argued as he pulled out a fresh syringe. 'No,' agreed Scully, 'it's our duty.'

**Scene Ten**

_12.27pm_

City Zoo 

'What the HELL did you do to our cougars?' Mark shouted as soon as they came within earshot, 'We've come to put them down, they are highly dangerous animals,' Scully told him. 'What do you EXPECT??! It's a zoo!!' he bellowed, 'It's not like you're supposed to go into the paddock. You can't put them down, you need... you need a warrant or something!' They ignored him and brushed past but he persisted. 'I'm calling the cops, they'll put a stop to this.' With that he retreated to the ticket booth where he picked up the receiver of the phone. He waved away customers looking to come in. Mulder drew up some red fluid from the bottle and made his way through the crowd to the paddock where there were three people, two heavily wounded and one with a gash or two to the face. It was Jack and Molly and another girl. 'What happened to the cougars?' murmured Mulder disbelievingly, 'they were right...' suddenly he spotted marks around Jack and Molly's necks. Scully stepped into the paddock. 'Jack and Molly O' Kennedy, I'm placing you both under arrest for the joint murders of Dewey Lynch and Luke Picket.' The second girl stood back, and in a flash, she was a panther, leaping through the crowd and out of the zoo.

**Mulder: **Mysterious goings-on have proved that, perhaps some humans have greater connections with animals than others could ever have. When creatures are mistreated, sometimes they'll retaliate with more force than they originally intend to, killing innocent people as punishment for being the same species as the source of the mistreatment. We'll never be able to unlock all the secrets of the animal kingdom as we'd like to be able to, but we can try to understand how difficult it must be for people to be understood in situations where they're different from everybody else.


End file.
